Ministers are aiming to cut the prison population by 3,000 over four years Three prisons which have a total capacity of 850 inmates will be closed by July, the Ministry of Justice is expected to announce.
The Times newspaper reports Ashwell prison in Rutland, Lancaster Castle in Lancashire and Morton Hall women’s jail in Lincolnshire will all close.
The move signals Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke’s determination to reduce the prison population.
A MoJ spokeswoman said an announcement on prison capacity would be made later.
BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the government is expected to argue that the closed prisons are expensive and inefficient.
It is expected to say Lancaster Castle is a medieval building, while Ashwell – which was badly damaged in a riot in April 2009 – would be too costly to restore to full use
It is understood Morton Hall will become an Immigration Removal Centre.
Our correspondent added the government will say new prisons at Belmarsh and Featherstone will create 2,500 new spaces in the next year, which will offer better value for money.
The inmates from the three prisons will be rehoused elsewhere in the prison estate, while about 500 staff will be transferred to nearby prisons or invited to apply for voluntary redundancy.
In December Mr Clarke set out plans to reduce the 85,000-strong prison population in England and Wales by about 3,000 over four years.
Other plans to reduce prison numbers included allowing some foreign criminals to leave Britain for good instead of going to prison, giving judges more discretion over sentencing in murder cases and handing more offenders fines or community sentences.
At the time, Mr Clarke said it was a “simpler, more sensible” approach but Tory backbenchers voiced concern that criminals would avoid being sent to prison.
The latest MoJ figures show there are currently 82,991 prisoners, about 5,000 less than the usable operational capacity of 87,936.
Ashwell prison, a former Army camp, is a facility for medium risk males with a capacity of 214.
Lancaster Castle is leased from Lancashire County Council while the land itself is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster. It has a capacity of 238.
And Morton Hall, a former RAF base, has a capacity of 392.
An MoJ spokeswoman said: “An announcement on prison capacity will be made to Parliament [on Thursday] morning.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.